Kobayashi Maru
by Princepen
Summary: Riker must keep the officers of the Enterprise alive inside a deadly game that may be unwinnable...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

"Entering the Gamma System, Captain."

Data's report hardly caused Picard to glance up from the controls on his armrest. He sighed inwardly. The crew rotations were apparently the same as last week, or might as well have been. The engine efficiency reports from engineering showed the ship's propulsion systems were operating at 98 percent efficiency; an all-time high, Chief Engineer LaForge assured him. Still, and this was unusual for him, he was nearly bored out of his mind. What he wouldn't give for some fresh air, perhaps a sunny day on a warm class M planet. "Very well, Mr. Data. Proceed."

"Deploy the first survey probe," Riker said, leaning his palm on the back of Data's chair. If the android minded the ship's first officer looming over him, he didn't indicate it. But then, Data wasn't programmed to convey annoyance or even the slightest bit of irritation.

"Probe is away," said Data calmly.

Riker nodded to no one in particular, and gave the Captain a glance over his shoulder. The Captain's eyebrows were knitted together in an intense look of concentration, and his gaze was fixed on the carpeted deck in front of him. It seemed Picard was less than interested in their latest assignment to survey a cluster of uninhabited planetoids now visible on the forward view screen. Riker's gaze fell on Counselor Troi, who seemed at least interested in the view outside.

Riker crossed his arms, returning his attention to the screen in front of them. He had to admit the scene was very beautiful. Harmless, bluish swirls of dust glittered and twisted in front of the ship, no doubt residual light from the system's nearest star, which shone brightly in the distance. "Anything yet, Data?"

"Negative sir."

"Send a class three probe, and increase the sensor radius."

"Aye sir."

Riker felt Ensign Crusher staring sideways up at him. "Something on your mind, Ensign?"

The teenager hesitated, and then asked a question, but not the one he had wanted to ask, Riker could tell. "If you don't mind my asking, sir, what exactly are we looking for?"

Riker shrugged. "Just a routine survey mission, Ensign. They can't all be exciting..."

"Yes sir," Wesley said distractedly, turning back to his console.

Riker leaned his elbow on the back of Wesley's chair. "What were you going to ask me, Wes?"

Wesley reddened and lowered his voice. "I have this friend who I communicate with at the Academy."

Riker smiled. It was obvious the kid was still flying high after finding out last month that he had been accepted to Starfleet Academy. In just a matter of months, he would off the Enterprise and on his way. Riker's smile faded, as the concept caused him mixed feelings, and he straightened more professionally. "Oh? And?"

"And...well, she's telling me all of these horror stories about the Kobayashi Maru test."

"Wes...you're not going to have to worry about that until your third year. Don't overthink it before you even get there."

"Yeah, but, is it really un-beatable? I mean it's never been defeated right?"

Riker chuckled. "I heard it was beaten, a long time ago...maybe it's just a legend, I don't know. Anyway, don't look at me, I didn't even come close, Ensign."

"So, it really is a no-win scenario?"

"I didn't say that," said Riker. "I'm not sure I believe in no-win scenarios, to be honest with-"

 _Perimeter alert, perimeter alert..._

Interrupted by the yellow alert, Riker whirled around, just as Picard was getting up from his seat.

"Sir, we are being probed," Data reported over the drone of the alarm.

* * *

William Riker blinked a few times, but the darkness didn't break, nor did his eyes grow accustomed to the area around him. Was he in the vacuum of space? No, because he was still alive. That much was he was sure of. And he was lying on some kind of hard floor. He sat up in the darkness. The last thing he remembered, he was talking to Wesley about...

 _You were talking about a no-win scenario,_ a voice drifted at him, filling the room. Or was the voice inside his mind?

 _No, not in your mind. We exist outside of your mind, but can travel freely within those finite confines, if we wish to._

"We? Who's we? Let me guess...a game. Not very original, Q."

 _Q? No we are not Q. The Q take themselves much too seriously...as do your kind._

Riker stood up. "Who are you then? Where am I? And where is the rest of the crew?"

 _The concept of a no-win scenario intrigues us, as it does you, William. You told the boy that you did not believe in no-win scenarios. Was that a true statement?_

"Why does that matter?

 _It matters because we desire to know._

"Will answering your question get me the hell out of here?"

 _No. Nothing will get you the hell out of here. But in time you will appreciate being here._

"Right...where is Captain Picard?"

 _With the others...the ones you care most deeply for are all together now. They are being prepared for the test._

"What _test_?"

 _Why of course, the no win scenario, William. We find this concept most fascinating. We enjoy games of all kinds, especially when the players are worthy_.

Light suddenly flooded his eyes and he found he was in a small circular room. A chair on a pedestal was set in the middle of the room. His eyes searched quickly for an escape. The room appeared seamless, with no doors or hatches visible. _Don't panic,_ he told himself silently.

 _No you must not panic, William. Because it all depends on you._

"What depends on me?"

 _The game, of course, or test...whatever you prefer._

 _"What's the point of this game?"_ Suddenly a small black box appeared on the floor next to the chair. Riker walked cautiously over to it, stopping a few feet away. "What is this?"

 _An alternative world created specifically for this game. If you close your eyes and concentrate, you will see what they see._

 _"Who?"_

 _Your friends. Your friends are in that box. But to them it is not a box, but a beautiful planet full of sun and warm breezes. Just as the Captain desired._

"Okay...so what's the point of this game?"

 _To keep your friends alive, William. That is all._

 _"What?"_

 _You sound alarmed. You see, the game is designed for your friends to die. But if there is no such thing as an unbeatable scenario, as you say...then we await your mastery of t_ _he test we have created for you._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

"Assuming I was to play this game-"

 _You have no choice but to play the game, William._ The voices sounded hard now, impatient with him.

 _"_ Oh is that right?" He stared up at the ceiling stubbornly, wondering if it was possible to call the bluff of a group of advanced beings.

 _Yes. That is right._

For now, he decided he would indulge these beings. "Are there even any rules?"

 _There are three principles intrinsic to this game, William._ The voices sounded delighted that he had seen reason. Maybe it was to his advantage, letting them know he was willing to play along.

"Which are..."

 _If you directly reveal the game to your friends, they will die…and so will you._

Riker backed up and sat down in the chair. "Go on."

 _If your friends come to sincerely doubt the authenticity of this world, it will end._

 _"_ And they'll die?"

There was a pause.

 _Yes. On the other hand, as they become comfortable inside their world, the only world they believe they have ever known, they will become inseparable from it, and you will not be able to retrieve them._

"And while all this is happening I have to keep them alive. That's it?"

 _More or less._

"This is all suggesting that I can control their actions somehow."

 _Control them, influence them... however you choose to proceed, William. But proceed you must._

"And if I don't?" Maybe he couldn't escape this prison, but they hadn't shown him yet they could harm him in any way. Was he willing to test his limits?

 _To do nothing will mean that you have no say in what we do to them...and how we run the game will be strictly our affair._

He sighed, leaning back in the chair. "If I wanted to communicate with my friends, then how exactly would I do that?"

 _Simply talk to them...it is not difficult._

"So I can't tell them they are part of a game, or we will all die. If they realize either on their own, or through my influence, that it is all a sham they die...and yet as long as they believe this box is a real world, then they will become trapped forever?"

There was a long pause before the voices entered the chamber again. _You have re-stated the principles. There is nothing more we wish to add._

"But what will they have to survive?"

 _They have been allowed their preferred mode of clothing._

 _"_ Oh hey, great."

 _We could not read the mind of the android. But once we decided it should be allowed to participate, it was also allotted clothing._

"That is truly kind of you," said Riker, sure that his sarcasm was wasted.

 _We are nothing if not generous, William. We see inside their minds, and yours as well, which will make this game more interesting. Their minds may work for or against them. If they amuse us, they may be rewarded._

 _"_ And if they cease to amuse you?"

The voices fell silent again.

Riker began to feel a chill inside the chamber. And he was hungry. Almost instantly a table appeared in front of him. It was covered in his favorite foods and beverages. Hanging on the back of the chair was a parka, like one he would have worn growing up in Alaska. _Trying to communicate that th_ _ey have access to my every thought, I suppose._

He tried not to show his surprise or interest in the food even as his stomach growled. How long had he been here? Hours? Could have even been days. "Anything else I should know besides the fact that this game is inherently unfair?"

 _Each individual will have memory of his or her name. If they happen to have usable knowledge gained from past experiences, they will not know how or when they gained this knowledge. A complete memory wipe is nearly impossible even with our current technologies. Some things may seep through. But they will not know each other, which could present some additional challenges for you, William._

"And so they won't know who I am either? I mean, they won't recognize my voice."

 _No._

* * *

He was very cold and damp. He'd woken up in a cave, and knew immediately that he preferred the heat. The space inside the cave was very cramped. As he crawled on his hands and knees toward the rays of sunlight beaming into the entrance, the armor covering his shoulders and knees made satisfying clanking sounds. More than once he bumped his head as the roof of the cave grew lower and lower. Finally he reached the entrance, and dragged himself out into the warm heat of the sun. He breathed in the fresh air, and felt alive again. He ran sideways down the rocky slope, causing the ground to slide precariously under his boots. When he reached the bottom of the hill, he turned back to look up at the cave. Maybe a place to sleep if he became desperate for shelter. But he'd never really been desperate before...had he?

He dusted off the metal of his chest plate, and sniffed the air again. Something was approaching. Something that smelled like a carnivore. He let out a slow growl. His eyes searched the nearby landscape for a weapon. His gaze settled on a sharp object. It was a long knife with a gilded handle. Even from afar he could see ancient writing on its blade. He rushed toward the knife and tore it from the rubble, just as the immense creature appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and howled at him with gaping jaws full of razor sharp teeth. Worf let out a cry and rushed toward it.

* * *

Riker's eyes snapped open, and he flopped forward in the chair. His body was covered in a damp sweat. "Worf! ...I just saw Worf. He was fighting some kind of ...wild beast ."

 _But you did not intervene. You did not try to speak to him. Why?_

 _"_ What do you mean ' _why_ '? I thought you could read my mind."

 _Ah...now we see. This one enjoys danger. You did not intervene because he would not have wanted you to. This information will aid us in constructing more challenging games for Worf._

"No!" Riker jumped up from his chair. His legs felt shaky and weak, and his mind felt weaker. "I won't do this anymore. I refuse."

 _You disappoint us._

"Did we offend you in some way? If so, it was not our intent, I assure you. We're explorers, and we were just passing through your system. But now we see that we've disturbed you. It won't happen again. Now, if you put me and my crew back on our ship right now, I promise we can talk this through. But it's got to be on fair terms."

A cold silence enveloped the room.

 _"_ What do you want from us?" he demanded.

 _We told you, William...we merely want to play a game. Are you giving up already? We told you what will happen. Now, why not have something to eat, and then you will be strong enough to resume the game._

* * *

A short time later, Riker gave in and ate some of the food his captors left out for him. It was everything he could have hoped for of course, as it had been comprised of his favorite foods, carefully plucked from the corners of his psyche. How far, he wondered, would his alien captors go to keep him comfortable. How much did they want to keep him here? Did they need him to run the game? He was so satisfied after eating, and so exhausted, that he fell asleep on the floor. When he awoke, he was on a soft bed, completely comfortable. He was rejuvenated, seeing much more clearly now. He knew what he needed to do. He needed to contact the Captain.

* * *

 _Parched._ Yes, that was the word, he was parched. He had no idea how many hours he had been walking through this desert, perhaps even it had been days. The only saving grace had been his wonderful hat. This blazing sun overhead would have scorched his bald head otherwise. The hat was an absolute blessing. The tie, the three piece suit, and trench coat on the other hand, were weighing him down now, stiff with as many layers of dried sweat as there seemed to be grains of sand etched into his face. His eyes burned with the wind and sand. Was it the same wind and sand that had smacked him repeatedly in the face miles earlier, only just to circle back around and torture him again? Yes, probably it was, he decided.

He stopped for a moment, and took his hat off, knelt down and balanced the fedora on his knee. It spun counterclockwise for half a turn before he caught it in his right hand tightly. "I do love you, hat," he whispered, examining it for a moment, before putting it back on his head.

"Oh dear... I think I'm losing my mind out here," he muttered, glancing around him. He squinted off into the distance. The distortion above the sand was almost musical, he now recognized. He coughed as the wind whipped into his face again. What he wouldn't give at this moment for the waves of sand to be replaced by an ocean.

He caught his hat with one hand as the ground beneath him gave way, and he slid chest deep into the sand. The sand he had so recently wished to become an ocean, had now transformed into one, and he was at risk of drowning. As the waves of sand sucked him under, he tried to flail his legs outward to keep afloat, but the sand that surrounded his submerged legs was impossibly heavy. He was pulled under and the sand filled his nostrils and mouth. Trying to remain in control of an uncontrollable situation, he threw himself forward and tried to swim as though he was in water.

 _Captain..._

He threw his head to the side and tried to pull himself forward, coughing up the sand that scraped his throat raw.

 _Captain!_

He continued to flail. His subconscious was talking to him, but it was making no sense. _"Captain?"_ How the hell did that help anything? Captain who? Who was the Captain?

 _Captain, continue to swim forward. You're just two meters away from solid ground. Please, sir, just keep moving forward._

He threw himself forward violently, this time, feeling his legs ascend miraculously to the surface behind him. _Captain, who's the Captain? Am I the Captain?_

 _Yes, you're the Captain,_ said the voice.

 _"What?"_ He choked. He shouldn't be considering existential questions right now, he should be fighting for his life.

 _Keep swimming forward._

The fingertips of his right hand caught on a large rock, and then pulling himself forward, he managed to swing his knees up and catch a foothold.

He crawled up on to the sand, and lay face down, perhaps more sand than man now. He listened again for the voice, but it had departed his subconscious. Eventually he rolled over on his back, and coughed up a mouthful of sand. "I'm the Captain," he whispered up at the sun.

* * *

Once he had regained his strength, he trudged forward once again. But now with his hat gone, the sun was making him nearly stagger with dizziness. "Oh, my beloved hat..." Suddenly, it was in his hand, good as new. "Well... _that_ never happened before," he remarked to the empty landscape in front of him, before slapping it back on his head.

Suddenly and remarkably he heard a delightful splashing sound up ahead. "Water...water!" He sprinted forward clumsily, nearly skidding over a ledge, that appeared in front of him. The water wasn't far enough down to deter him from jumping into the absolutely gorgeous pool of azure water. No, it was the presence of a person, swimming in the water below that stopped him.

Another person! For so long he had been the only person here...well anywhere, as far as he knew. But now he could see a woman with very long, very black hair. She was completely nude, and was frolicking in such a silly, oblivious way that made him wonder if she also had believed herself to be the only person on this planet. Suddenly she stopped swimming, and her head jerked around to look up toward him. How had she known he was there? He couldn't help but stare back at her. After all... She continued to stare upward at him with an obvious curiosity, and perhaps a kind of amusement. There were so many new things to ponder. But damn it, he was thirsty. So he took the plunge.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

There were more than fourteen thousand different tiny ecosystems in the grassy clearing just six point two meters beyond the trees where he sat. As he surveyed the landscape in front of him, he could estimate thousands more, and billions of insects and other tiny creatures living among the blades of tall grass. But for the moment his unswerving gaze was fixed on a single creature.

He unfolded like a spring and got to his feet, standing with perfect posture. He wasn't alarmed, this was just the way he reacted to nearly everything that was new to him. With precise alertness. He watched curiously as the stocky figure moved steadily toward him from out of the clearing. He could not be certain if the creature saw him, because the creature did not possess eyes, at least not like his own. It was holding a colorful object at the end of one of its upper limbs.

He tilted his head as the creature stopped just outside the tree line. "Hi," the creature said, and took a sip from a straw attached to the brightly colored container, which held an even more vibrant liquid. The creature seemed pleased with the results, and took another sip.

"How remarkable," he said to the creature. "A bipedal humanoid, who is dressed exactly as I am." He glanced down at his simple t-shirt.

The creature lowered the glass of exotic liquid in his hand. The golden object covering where his eyes should have been glinted in the bright sunlight. "You mean _you're_ dressed like _me_. These are my favorite shorts," he said gesturing down at the black and yellow clothing covering the lower half of his body from his waist to just below his knees. Even the floral pattern matched exactly.

"Ah yes. And these are my favorite shorts as well," said Data, pointing downward, now pleased to have a name for the item of clothing he had been wearing for...well since as long as he could recall having existed. "I...was not aware that this planet was inhabited by any other bipeds."

"Me either." His counterpart reached out a hand accompanied by a friendly grin. "I'm Geordi, by the way."

"I am Data," said Data. He glanced at the glass of liquid clasped in Geordi's hand. "Might I ask where you obtained that container of liquid?"

Geordi shrugged and smiled widely again. He took another sip from the straw. "I have no idea, it just...appeared, you know?"

Data frowned. "No, I do not. Which is why I inquired in the first place."

Geordi's sunny expression faltered only slightly before resuming again. "Well, anyway, it's pretty cool, right?"

Data looked at him blankly before reaching out the tip of his index finger cautiously to touch the side of the glass. "Yes...it is indeed quite cold."

Geordi nodded toward the forest behind Data. "Is that where you live?"

Data's brow crinkled. "Live?"

"Yeah."

"I am afraid I do not understand your question. My existence is not determined by a location."

"Hunh..." Geordi stared at him seemingly at a loss for words. "Well, maybe I should be going..."

"Where should you be going?"

Geordi turned and looked off into the distance. "Back there, I guess. Where I came from." He turned back around slowly and looked at Data with a perplexed expression. "You know, come to think of it, Data, I'm not sure where I came from."

Data pointed intently back out over the grassy field.

"Yeah," said Geordi. "But I can't remember anything else _but_ being in that field." He shook his head and stared at the ground. "Doesn't make sense."

"You raise an interesting point, Geordi. I too do not recall having stepped outside of this forest before just several moments ago. And yet, I have no reason to believe that I have never done so. I have, after all, been here for as long as I can remember."

"Me too. Actually, I thought I was the only one around here, to be honest..."

"As did I, until I first saw you 5.2 minutes ago, Geordi."

Geordi gazed off into the distance at the sun, which had drawn closer to the horizon. Suddenly he pointed up at the yellow orb. "Hey! Do you notice anything different about the way the sun looks today?"

Data shook his head with a frown. "No."

Geordi pointed up frantically at the sun again. "But can't you see the shift in the sun's magnetic field? This is crazy, I mean the solar activity has increased significantly since..." he faltered, trying to remember just when he had last studied the sun's magnetic field closely. He scratched his head and considered it had probably been back in that field somewhere as he was walking along and looking upward. "Since...look it just doesn't look right."

"Remarkable. You are able to see the sun's magnetic field?"

"See it? Of course I can...you mean you _can't_?" Geordi asked incredulously.

"No," admitted Data. He had posited that Geordi was unable to see anything, given the apparatus covering his eyes. Apparently the object was in fact a powerful visual device. "However if you are correct, I would be interested in studying the sun's solar activity further."

Geordi nodded, and then was startled by a loud scream in the distance. He glanced at Data with alarm. "What was that?"

"It would seem that we are not the only two individuals on this planet, Geordi."

"Whoever it is, they sound like they're in trouble. Come on, let's go check it out."

* * *

The device had just appeared. It sat inert upon a patch of mossy ground close to a stream she was readying herself to cross. She had no idea where it had come from, and despite an odd sense of familiarity, she had no idea what it was. But it was so distinct from the natural, tropical environment around her, that she was instantly drawn to it. Walking over, she crouched down and reached out a confident hand, picking up the rectangular device, gripping it just lightly. "What the..." she muttered in astonishment as the device flipped open. Multi-colored lights flashed in a series of seemingly random patterns, and the device beeped. Suddenly a grid appeared, with a green dot. She touched the screen and could see now that the grid was a map of the surrounding area. "That's me," she whispered, staring at the green dot. Suddenly the device beeped again, and a new green dot appeared on the tiny screen. It was moving in her direction. Her heart began to beat faster. Strangely the device seemed to notice this, and emitted a loud whine. She snapped the device shut and without thinking about it, slipped it into the pocket of her coat. Strange how it seemed to fit perfectly.

She could hear footfalls now coming through the forest. She wasn't the only one here after all! Stamping out her instinct to take cover, she steeled herself for whatever was about to happen. A slim figure now appeared in the foliage, and a grubby hand, waved an over-sized plant out of the way, as a muddy boot followed. She looked on as the figure slipped on a mossy rock, and fell on his back. She rushed forward to help him up, but he had already jumped to his feet. Looking embarrassed, he grabbed the hem of his tunic and pulled it downward sharply. She noticed immediately the similarities in their uniforms. His was red and black and hers blue and black, but the pattern and style was identical. He had four small metallic buttons affixed to his collar, and he reached up to touch them self consciously, apparently worried that they had fallen off when he slipped.

She was immediately drawn to his innocence and reached out to grab hold of his slim elbow. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, and swiped a long lock of brown hair from out of his eyes. "Yeah. Thanks." He pulled his arm away, and looked at her with open curiosity. "Who are you?"

She laughed, suddenly exhilarated to find she wasn't the only person on this planet. "I'm Beverly," she said.

He smiled shyly at her. "Hello. I'm Wesley."

* * *

He should have anticipated how heavy his clothing would have been before he leaped down into the pond below. The pond was also deeper than he'd thought. trudging through the desert for so long had altered his perception of reality, no doubt. The water, as it happened, was crystal clear, even when his feet pushed off on what he assumed was the silty bottom of the pond. As he struggled back up to the surface, the first thing he noticed was that his hat was floating on the surface. He snagged it, and swam closer to shore, before dragging his feet on the sand below. In chest deep water, he rubbed his eyes clear enough to see that the woman he'd seen from above was now staring directly at him from just a few meters away.

She looked relatively unconcerned when she asked, "Who are you?"

He squinted in the sunlight bounced off the surface of the water. He dumped the water out of his hat and placed it back on his head. "I'm Picard," he said. A voice floated in his head. _You're the Captain._

"My name is Troi," she said. "But you may call me Deanna."

He removed his hat again and gestured toward her. "Um...it is a pleasure to meet you, Deanna."

A slow smile crossed her face, and she reached up to adjust her long hair. "I gathered that," she said.

He shook his head in confusion. "Oh?"

"I can tell what you're thinking," she said. "And I must say, I am not used to people thinking those kind of thoughts about my body."

He froze in surprise and embarrassment but quickly grew defensive. "Well," he said, fiddling with his hat. "After all you are..."

"Naked? Well, so what if I am? There's been no one else around to notice or care. In fact it so happens that I have no other clothes."

Picard cleared his throat, and began to wade past her toward the shore.

"Just because you are uptight, it doesn't mean I shouldn't dress exactly how I like. I do what makes me happy," she called after him.

Reaching the shore, he sat down heavily in the white sand and began to take off his wet shoes and socks. "Of course," he muttered, dumping several ounces of water out of his shoe. "By all means, do whatever makes you happy."

He watched as she swam toward him, but shut his eyes tightly, when she emerged from the water, continuing toward him.

"I didn't mean to offend you," she said. He opened one eye to see her bare leg standing right next to him. "I mean by calling you uptight," she clarified. _Although clearly I was correct._

He shrugged. "That's fine," he allowed. "I suppose I am. I just...I never realized it until now. I suppose it takes an interaction with another person to discover such things."

"I suppose so. Are you going to open your eyes?"

"Could you go and stand over there, please?"

He heard her sigh, but when he dared open his eyes again, she was far enough away that he felt less uncomfortable.

Troi put her hands on her hips. "Look, if we're going to be friends we're going to have to come to some kind of compromise."

 _Friends?_ He lifted an eyebrow. "You _could_ put some clothes on."

"And you could choose not to objectify my body every time you look at me, and let go of your sexual hang ups," she replied. "And if you don't mind my saying so, you have a number of them."

He made a face. He _did_ mind. "That seems a much more difficult task than simply putting on some clothes."

"I told you, I have none!"

He loosened his sopping wet tie and looked around him for a source of cover. He had to find a way to dry his clothes, but had no intention of disrobing in front of his new acquaintance.

"And why not? What are you afraid of?"

"Do you always do that?"

"Read people's minds? Of course not, you're the first person I've met. Before you arrived, I didn't even know I could read minds. Imagine such a talent being wasted all this time."

"All this time? How long have you been here?"

"I have no idea," she said. "It is really the strangest thing..."

He stood up tiredly, dragging his trench coat behind him in the sand as he headed toward a large boulder. He could change behind that rock, leave his clothes to dry in the sun, and then find a private spot to curl up and take a nap. "I'll be on my way in a little while," he said over his shoulder. "I won't trouble you further," he reassured her.

"You have considerable trust and intimacy issues," she called after him. "I'm willing to help you if you ever want to talk."

He peered at her over the boulder, carefully keeping his eyes on her face. "I appreciate the offer of a counseling session, but as I said, I will be moving on soon. I have a lot of ground to cover."

She looked puzzled. "Where are you traveling to?"

He blinked. Until now, it hadn't occurred to him that he was going anywhere in particular-just that it was important that he keep moving.

She seemed to sense his confusion and smiled with some sympathy. "Don't worry, Picard. I'll keep an eye on your clothes for you while you rest. Despite the fact that it's only us two on this planet, you seem convinced that someone is going to steal them."

* * *

He awoke to someone shaking his shoulder.

"Picard...Picard. Picard!"

He sat up startled, nearly knocking his head into Troi who was leaning over him. To his surprise she had put on his trench coat and fastened the belt around her waist. It looked rather good on her.

"Thank you," she said, keeping her hand on his shoulder.

He blinked, and quickly covered himself, coming back to reality. It was growing chilly, and his clothes lay nearby on a flat rock. "I would prefer some privacy, please," he said sharply.

Troi sighed. "Okay. You get dressed, but then I need to show you something. I almost don't believe my own eyes. Hurry please, it's getting dark."

* * *

A few minutes later he emerged from behind his rock, and stepped out on to the beach. Deanna was standing down near the water line...or at least what had been the water line. Now there was only the sandy beach and a hole where the beautiful pond had been just hours before.

"What the hell happened to all the water?" He looked up at the cliff, and saw no lovely waterfall cascading downward.

"That's what I would like to know," Deanna replied. She gestured at her feet where several casks lay in the sand. "These containers appeared out of nowhere, and I filled them up as quickly as I could. Just in case we can't find more water anytime soon."

"Quick thinking," he said putting a hand on her shoulder. He walked out and down into the center of the former pond. He crouched down, and traced his fingers in the clay. The ground was nearly dry. "This makes absolutely no sense," he said turning back to Troi. "It just...disappeared?"

She nodded. "It began to recede, and within minutes it was gone. I didn't even have enough time to wake you..."

He walked back to the beach and they stood in silence for a few minutes. He stared off into the distance, where several kilometers away he could see green. That meant water. And where there were trees, there was the opportunity for shelter. Certainly he couldn't go back in the direction he'd traveled from, which was a desert. Suddenly he grasped her by the arms. "Deanna, were you thinking about anything in particular when it happened?"

She shook her head. "Not really...I mean I don't remember. Why?"

He straightened and dropped his hands. "No reason. Nothing."

"You're _lying_! You think I caused the water to disappear by thinking it away, don't you?

"I-look, I don't know. But when I was in the desert, I had a moment where I just wished for water...no not water, but an _ocean._ And then I was taken under by waves of sand. It-it almost killed me, but I escaped."

 _Hmm._ He wasn't revealing everything. Not yet at least. "I see. And now you think we need to leave here, because we just experienced a similar supernatural event?"

"Well, do you have any other plans?"

"No," she admitted. "As a matter of fact I have no plans at all."

"Good," he said firmly. "Let's go then."

* * *

"Why did you do that?" Riker's eyes snapped open and sat up.

 _Do what?_

"You made the lake disappear! The Captain just wandered out of a desert, and now you took their water away from them? What are you trying to prove?"

 _They have water to survive, William. Why are you concerned?_

"I want to know why you did what you just did."

 _The game is underway, William, and perhaps this is just part of the game. Or perhaps it was you who made the water disappear. After all, you wanted them to leave that place. Why?_

"I'm not telling you anything."

 _You wanted them to leave the lake so that they will reunite with your other friends._

Riker remained silent. "The more bizarre events they experience, the more they will doubt the existence of this world," Riker said. "That's how this whole thing works, right? And then the world itself will disappear and they die. Right?"

 _You must learn to play the game, William, if they are to survive._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"There!" Geordi crawled up over the top of the cliff and pointed down. "See? Right down there where all those trees are busted up."

"If you mean that three trees in that area have been subjected to recent trauma, including one which has been uprooted; then yes, they are indeed 'busted up', Geordi. However I fail to see how you believe-"

"There are two beings down there, Data. And judging by the heat signatures, one of them is a lot bigger than the other."

Data grew very still, listening intently before turning to Geordi. "I believe you are correct."

"Of _course_ I'm correct. Let's go, Data..."

Geordi leaped over the edge, and began running down the rocky slope. He didn't realize Data was following him until he saw his new friend speed past him, torso upright, and legs churning forward at an inhuman pace. "Whoa," Geordi breathed, as he saw Data come to a halt and stare upward.

A few moments later, he skidded to a stop himself, wrenching his knee. Stumbling before rising back up to his feet he now saw what Data had been looking at. A large figure dressed in armor hung suspended from an even larger tree. He had been speared through by an enormous horned creature, which lay apparently lifeless against the trunk of the tree. A large knife was stuck in the back of its neck.

Geordi looked on, disturbed. The warrior person had seemed unconscious at first, but now began to stir. His legs twitched and he let out a groan that sounded very similar to the screams they'd heard just minutes earlier. "How can he be alive?"

"I do not know. He has been severely injured. The creature has died," said Data, who was examining it closely.

Geordi stared upward, and scratched his head. "Not sure how we're going to get him down from there without making it worse for him, Data, but we've got to try."

As he spoke he watched as Data scrambled deftly up the tree trunk. Bracing himself back against the tree he pushed the creature outward in one swift movement. The horn dislodged from the unconscious stranger so quickly that he didn't utter a sound, and he fell. But to Geordi's surprise, he never hit the ground, because Data reached out and caught hold of his armor with his free hand, still gripping the tree with the other. The blood which had coagulated in the man's wounded side began to stream down the side of his leg. Data lifted the man and gently lowered him on to the ground, then knelt down at his side, clamping his hand over the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Amazing...you're saving his life Data, but we've got to get him a more permanent bandage or he won't last much longer. Let's carry him the rest of the way down the hill and get him under cover."

* * *

"So there is you, and there is me," said Picard as he walked along next to his new companion. He stared into the sunset, as they walked on. "Do you think we're the only ones here, Deanna?"

"I don't know." She looked over at him. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes?"

"You told me your name was Picard."

"Yes...and?"

"And so why, inside your mind do you refer to yourself as the Captain?"

He stared silently ahead of them. "I don't like that personal question. Perhaps you'll trade that one for another?"

"Fine." She glanced over at him. "Are you hopeful about the possibility that there may be others like us? I sense that you didn't really mind it when you believed you were the only one."

Picard placed his hands behind his back as they continued to walk. "No, I didn't mind at all," he admitted after a long pause. "But now that I've met you...well, I am curious about finding other people. But even more so, I am beginning to wonder about this world we live in."

"In what way?"

"Deanna...objects have appeared or disappeared in front of our eyes, without a natural explanation."

"I had noticed that."

"Perhaps this world has properties that we simply find odd," he continued. "It is possible that what we don't understand seems bizarre or supernatural, when in fact we may just be too unsophisticated to comprehend the science of what is really happening around us."

"So you think there is some kind of order or design to what we have been experiencing."

"Do you have a better explanation?"

She shrugged, and wrapped the coat around her more snugly. It was chilly out here on this plain, now that the sun had disappeared over the horizon. "Picard...before you arrived at that oasis in the desert, I can't remember ever having stepped foot outside of it. And even stranger, I don't recall it ever being nighttime like it is now. Yet the concept is completely familiar to me."

"So you agree with me that something strange is happening."

"Yes. Your hat reappeared before your eyes after you lost it and nearly lost your life in a sand pit...and in just minutes I saw a beautiful lake transform into nothingness. Our memories don't extend beyond what we were doing just before meeting each other."

"Which means we're not losing our minds...unless we're losing our minds together," he clarified with a small smile.

"No matter what the source of these experiences are... I wonder Picard, how long will it take before I can no longer trust my own perceptions?"

Almost immediately the world grew quiet around them, and Troi found herself standing alone on a tiny piece of ground, just wide enough for her two feet. She looked down and was met with a wave of disorientation. Below her was nothingness. She could still see Picard, but he was at least fifty meters away, standing safely on the sand they had been traversing together. She shut her eyes tightly to try and regain her balance. "P-Picard..." she said through gritted teeth, trying to steady her shaking legs.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

"What's _wrong_? Can't you see I'm about to fall into nothingness?" Her panic began to grow. He was entirely unconcerned at her plight. How much did she know about him anyway? For all she knew _he_ was the one manipulating their environment. "I never had these problems until you showed up, Picard!"

He was so far away now that she couldn't see the expression on his face. Did he find this amusing? Was he laughing at her?

"Deanna, what's wrong?"

"I-I'm frightened," she called out. "I can read your thoughts and you're not even the least bit worried about me!"

"That's because you're right next to me, Deanna. You're safe, we both are..."

She shook her head. "No! Can't you see what's happening?" She wouldn't be able to stand here forever. Beneath her the chasm widened, and she was certain now that it was only a matter of time until she fell into it.

He was reaching out his hand to her now, but he was so far away. Was he joking? She would die if she reached out and tried to take his hand. _No, you won't,_ a voice sounded inside her mind. _I promise you, Deanna that you are safe._

"Who are you?" she thought back.

 _A friend. I want to help you, but you must trust the Captain._

"The Captain? But I don't really know him. And he's so far away...I can't possibly reach him."

 _Yes, you can. He's right next to you. Take his hand._

She shut her eyes tightly again. When she opened them again the impossibly dry wind was howling in her ears.

"Deanna! Take my hand," Picard was urging her. "I'm right here."

 _Take one step forward, Deanna. He wouldn't tell you to walk into nothingness. Please trust him._

Troi took a deep breath and reached her arm out as far as it would go. Miraculously her fingertips grazed his, and his hand grasped hers tightly. Her feet crunched on the solid ground underneath. She was exactly where she had been just a minute ago. "You saved me," she breathed.

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Picard laughed. "No, you did it. You did it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"If your goal is to frighten and torture these people you are succeeding. And because you've already made your point, you should let us go now."

There was no immediate answer, and Riker got up from his chair. He'd felt glued into it like a pilot's seat. He looked around, testing his shaky legs. Aside from the chair, the room was empty of objects. Even the small box which he had been told contained his friends inside an alternative universe, was absent. The food he had initially been given had disappeared, and he could not remember the last time he'd eaten. Time passed here in a way in which he could not accurately judge. It didn't help that he had been in some kind of half dream state ever since the game began. He walked over to a wall, and placed his palm on it, noticing the strange curve from floor to ceiling.

"I have to leave here," he thought to himself. "Somehow whatever I do, or don't do, controls this game. But if I escape this room and free myself from their control, I stop the game."

 _How interesting it is that you believe you control the players of this game, William._

"Don't I? You made sure Deanna wouldn't trust the captain. She would have fallen into that abyss, had I not intervened."

 _Perhaps you are correct._

"Was it real? Would you really have allowed her to die?"

 _Failure is required in a no win scenario, William. Eventually death is awaiting each of your friends unless you prevent it._

"So this is real...life or death."

 _You doubted this?_

"So it's real then. But I can't possibly prevent everything, can I? Worf is dying, and I have no control over that fact."

 _Don't you?_

"You're saying I have to find a way to defeat the game, is that it? It's not enough just to teach them how to play. I have to defeat the game."

 _You must play. We are entertained by all of the possible endings._

"And by death...or the possibility of it. Why is that? Why test out your sick fetishes on us?"

Again there was no answer. But next to him another table appeared with food and water.

* * *

Deanna continued to clutch Picard tightly. "I heard a voice speaking to me..."

He loosened his grip, now holding her at arm's length. "What?"

She looked up into his eyes. "You heard it too...didn't you?"

"No," he said sharply. "I mean, not just now, but...yes, I did hear something or someone, when I was struggling out of that quicksand in the desert."

"What did the voice sound like?"

"Male."

"Male, that's it?"

"Well, what did the voice _you_ heard sound like?" he questioned.

"It...he sounded friendly. He wanted to help me."

Picard shook his head, but said nothing as he gazed across the horizon.

"You don't like the fact that you needed someone else's help...even help from a disembodied voice. You absolutely hate feeling vulnerable."

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. " _Please_ stop doing that," he implored her.

"What, reading your mind? Are you able to simply stop thinking? Because for me it is the same thing. It is simply the way that my mind works."

"Stop telling me what it is that I'm thinking, then."

" _Fine."_

They walked on in silence for a long while. It was so dark now that they could hardly see one another. Finally Picard spoke with genuine regret in his voice. "I'm sorry, Deanna. I didn't intend to hurt your feelings." To his dismay, she did not respond.

* * *

A few hours earlier...

"Fascinating...just fascinating." She peered down at the delicate leaf she held between her thumb and forefinger.

Wesley stared off into the dense forest. He thought he'd heard something in the distance, but Beverly was oblivious to any potential danger. Instead she was attempting to examine possibly every plant in the tropical environment, even scaling a tree halfway at one point to get the best possible vantage point on an oversized snail-like animal. Wesley, meanwhile, was hoping for something more exciting than cataloging every piece of life on this planet.

"If only I had a way to catalogue these _properly_ ," she exclaimed at that very moment. Honestly, she acted as though he should be interested, but he had already begun to notice that just because she was talking out loud, didn't mean she was talking to him. She seemed always to be reasoning things through. Beverly was very nice, but he was beginning to wonder if they should part ways. He was still struggling with how to approach the awkward exchange in his mind, when something odd happened.

Eyes widening, he pointed urgently at her blue overcoat. "Your pocket is buzzing..."

She turned to glance back at him in irritation. Several leaves tumbled out of her hair. " _What?"_

Something about her furrowed brow made him hesitate. Her intensity was a little intimidating. Raising himself to his full height he smoothed his hands over uniform, trying to appear as adult as possible. "I _said_ your pocket is buzzing."

She looked down in confusion. "Oh! You're right. Hmm...yes." She pulled the whirring box from her pocket and opened it up. She looked up at Wesley. "Someone's over there, at about twenty meters away," she said, her voice becoming a harsh whisper.

Wesley moved closer to look over her shoulder. "How do you know?" He returned her whisper excitedly.

She glanced at him. "It did something similar when you first approached me."

"Where did you _get_ that thing?" He asked with an additional layer of respect in his tone. He wanted to reach out and touch the blinking object, but knew that would be rude.

"I don't know," she said. "It just appeared on a rock near a stream... but maybe I should try and actually use it. This machine could have all kinds of uses, Wesley, if we are just patient enough to find out."

"I think we should go in the direction of the green blinking lights," Wesley blurted out.

"You mean towards the unknown lifeforms who outnumber us three to two? Well I _don't_ ," said Beverly in a no-nonsense tone.

Wesley grew red in the face. "I'll go alone then."

She glared at him. "What are you trying to prove?"

"Look, you're a nice person and everything, and I'm really happy I finally met somebody else on this planet, but I-"

Beverly patted him affectionately on the cheek, stopping him in mid-sentence. "You've convinced me, honey...we'll go together."

* * *

Geordi crouched down underneath a small ledge of rock. The ground in that area was soft, almost pleasantly so. Data carefully lowered the wounded person they'd rescued, still holding onto the man's side, exerting perhaps life saving pressure. Once the man was lying flat, his eyelids fluttered, threatening to open.

Geordi reached out to the side of the man's neck. "His pulse is weak, but...he's making some kind of noise."

"Data, I think he's waking up!" He leaned in closer hovering over the man's head. "Hey, it's going to be alright...you're safe-"

Suddenly a large fist slammed him in the face, sending him onto his back. The wounded man let out a low growl, as Data looked on placidly. "You are correct, Geordi. He is now awake."

"Uhh..." Geordi rolled over on his stomach ready to push himself up. He blinked once. Then again. Everything was black. "I can't see," he shouted. "That guy just blinded me!" He put his hand up to his face and felt around. Something wasn't right. His face felt too smooth. "Data, what's wrong with my face?" He knelt down on the soft earth, running his hands over his face again. Everything was all wrong.

"Geordi, place your right hand on the ground in front of you."

"What? Okay, okay," he did so.

"Now move your hand twelve point two centimeters to your right."

Again he followed Data's instructions, and found his hand resting on something familiar and metallic. "What is it?" Instead of feeling better, he began to panic. "What is it?"

"It is your visual prosthesis, Geordi."

"My _what?"_

"Pick it up," said Data very calmly. He frowned down at his hand where he continued to hold the side of the injured man's torso. He took a slight chance and released some pressure. Once again the blood had begun to coagulate. The skin around the wound appeared thicker. Perhaps this person had regenerative healing powers to some extent. Since Data's medical abilities were limited, this was a positive development.

As soon as Geordi gripped the object it felt completely familiar. But he was filled with confusion.

"Hold the prosthesis so that it is horizontal with the two distinct ends facing toward you."

"Data are you telling me this thing belongs on my face?"

"Yes. You have never removed the device before?"

Geordi carefully clicked the device into place, and sat down on the ground feeling deflated, even as his sight returned. "No. I-I always thought this was just how I saw naturally. Somehow now I feel...artificial."

"I am familiar with the sensation, Geordi. But, perhaps that is not necessarily... unnatural."

Geordi shrugged. "Yeah...you may be right." He rubbed his sore cheekbone where the stranger had punched him. "How's he doing?" He asked warily, keeping a safe distance.

The man emitted a low growl again. "Let me go!" he suddenly roared up at Data. When Data didn't immediately comply, the man punched him directly in the jaw. Data's face was unforgiving, and moved only slightly, causing the man's fist to crunch when it connected. The man only roared furiously, and threw another punch upward into Data's nose. This time there was a clear snapping sound, but again Data was unaffected.

"Holy shit," Geordi exclaimed. "I think your face just broke his hand."

Data raised his eyebrows and addressed the angry Klingon. "Further violence is inadvisable."

* * *

"What are you doing to him? Let him go!"

Geordi turned toward an unfamiliar voice, and got slowly to his feet, balancing painfully on his injured knee. Two newcomers stood together just down the hill a few paces away. The speaker held out an object toward him, which Geordi feared might be a weapon. "We're _trying_ to help him. He's just not exactly grateful," he said.

"We just watched an obviously wounded person repeatedly punch your friend in the face," said the woman with the strange machine in her hand. "And your friend hardly flinched. Is this your prisoner?"

"I _said_ , we are helping him lady-"

"Oh, I heard what you said, but I don't believe you."

"Look, lady-"

"My name is not _lady_ , it's Beverly."

"I'm Geordi."

"Hello Geordi. Now, get away from him," she said, gesturing at him with the object again.

Geordi glanced at Data, and put his hands up. "This day started off so well...look, calm down, we are trying to provide him with medical attention."

"Hey, just do what she says," her young companion suddenly interrupted. Geordi looked skeptically at the skinny teen. The kid was trying much too hard to be tough, but Geordi had experienced enough conflict for one day.

"Are you even a doctor?" he asked the woman incredulously.

Although her facial expression was a jumble of colors to him, he could see her hesitate. "Maybe," she said, sounding unsure of herself for the first time.

Geordi laughed but Beverly ignored him, walked past him toward Data and his patient. She gently moved Data out of the way. She immediately noted deep bruising around the wound in the man's side and looked up at Data. "Your technique is a bit aggressive. Congratulations, though...he's not dead."

"Thank you," said Data, standing up, and moving out of her way. "You should take precautions, as he has demonstrated violence."

"Which one of you stabbed him?" she demanded to know, as she began to attend to her patient.

Geordi threw his hands up in frustration.

"Neither of us, Beverly," said Data. "When we found him, he had been impaled by a large animal, and was severely wounded."

"Hmm...and he still is."

"Leave me alone," the man growled. "I will either survive or I will die."

"What's your name?" she asked sharply.

"Worf."

"Worf, we're going to warm you up." She glanced up. "It's getting dark and the temperature is dropping. Which frankly...for a tropical forest is _very_ odd. Wesley?"

The teenager whirled around. "Yeah?"

"Can you and the twins here manage to make a fire?"

"Uh-okay."

Geordi glanced from Wesley to Beverly and back again. "Twins?"

Wesley snickered. "You're dressed exactly alike."

Geordi made a face. "Right...got it. Come on Data, let's go find something to start a fire with."

"I'll help," Wesley said, falling into step beside Data.

Geordi glared over at him. "She's your mother, right? Has to be..."

Wesley blushed a deep red. "Huh? No!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

He waved a hand in front of his face, as a stinging bug whizzed past his nose. "We've been walking all night long, and you haven't said a word since...since-"

Deanna squinted up at him in the emerging sunlight. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth, which was coated with sand. "Since you _insulted_ me?" Her voice sounded harsher than she had intended, on account of all the sand.

"I didn't intend to insult you," he protested.

"I know."

He took his hat off and stared at her quizzically. "And yet you want to punish me by keeping silent for the last thirty kilometers?"

"Oh, come on, captain, you know you'd prefer to be alone...I'm just saving you the trouble of having to make conversation."

The sun was blinding them again. But at least it was daytime, and their immediate destination was now in sight. "Look!" He pointed ahead of them at what was a beautiful and lush rainforest, conveniently situated in what was otherwise a vast desert. It was only about fifteen minutes away.

"Yes, captain I see it," she assured him tiredly. "But can we agree that it wasn't there just a moment ago?"

He shrugged, silently amazed by his own stubborn unwillingness to agree with her on almost every point. _I never realized I was so difficult to get along with until I met another person._ "A moment ago I was distracted by my argument with you."

"Oh, so it's my fault is it?" She grabbed his hand to make him slow his steady footsteps. He halted and turned back impatiently.

"Well?" she demanded. "Are you actually blaming me?"

Picard whacked his dusty hat against his leg and looked at her silently. Then he put his hat back on with a small smile. "If we find water in the next hour I'll forgive you, Troi."

Not knowing how to respond without completely losing her temper, she calmed down instead.

"Fine, captain. But once we find it, we're going to have a good long talk, you and I."

"About?" he said returning to his quick strides.

They both picked up the pace, intent on reaching the now looming forest.

"About the things that are happening to us. Last night you wanted answers, and now you're acting as though this world is completely normal."

"Perhaps it is. Perhaps this is simply the way this world works. Things disappear, and then others reappear with no obvious reason."

"And you're fine with that?"

"Deanna...all I want right now is some water. Let's talk once we've rested a bit."

They trudged on, and after another long silence she said "Do you always think you know the correct way?"

He didn't bother to look at her, but his tone was quietly confident. "Yes. I do."

* * *

Wesley had given up trying to gently move the thorny vines out of his way. It had seemed like the right thing to lead this expedition but now he was regretting his previous enthusiasm. His hair stuck to his forehead from the humidity of the tropical forest they had been climbing through now for about an hour now. Beverly lagged behind slightly, studying the strange instrument. If she was tired, it didn't show. "Do you think he's going to live?"

"My angry patient? Well, _I_ certainly intend for him to live, whether he cares or not," said Beverly. "In any case, that's why we're out here looking for medicine, right?"

"Yep," Wesley mumbled, hacking at another clinging vine. "How can it be this hot? The sun's just come up." He suddenly caught his foot on a root and stumbled rather than walked downhill into a clearing.

Beverly fiddled with the instrument she was carrying. "I think I'm beginning to understand this thing..." She scanned the ground and the dense green ground cover in front of them before dropping the instrument back in her pocket. Then she knelt down, and touched a delicate leaflet. She peered at it closer. "Yes...these should do," she murmured.

"You can use them for medicine?"

"Mm-yes," she confirmed, picking a handful of the strange herbs.

Wesley wiped his brow and tried to look knowledgeable. "How do you know those will help him?"

She looked up at him from her crouching position, and her features suddenly went blank. "Good question, Wesley...but somehow I just know these will help slow the bleeding. How I came to know this, I...can't really say."

Wesley scratched his head. "This place is weird."

She smiled and stood up. She carefully folded the plants into another large pocket on her blue jacket. "Agreed. Of course...it's no weirder than any other place I've been to."

"Yeah, but where else have you _actually_ been?"

Beverly appeared to ponder this for a moment before turning around in place, and looking above their heads at the canopy of trees. "You're right...I can't remember anything but this place, and yet it all seems new to me. In fact, I can't remember much before I met you yesterday here in this jungle."

"Me either," said Wesley. "Maybe we should ask the twins what they think...they may have experienced the same thing."

"Maybe..." Beverly laughed abruptly, bringing her palm up to cover her mouth. "The twins...do you think they mind us calling them-"

Suddenly there was a crashing sound up ahead of them. Beverly's hand dropped into her pocket, and she and Wesley glanced anxiously at each other. She'd examined the injured person's wounds well enough overnight that she knew it hadn't been Geordi and Data who had attacked him. Instead, the wounds looked like they had been inflicted by something much larger...with large teeth or horns. Of course the injured person, who had only briefly identified himself as "Worf", hadn't been much help. He rarely spoke, and when he did it was in a language she did not understand.

As the crashing came closer, her hand tightened on the object in her pocket, and she wondered for the first time whether it really had any capacity to injure her, or potential enemies. Before she had met other people, the concept of an enemy hadn't occurred to her. But then, she couldn't remember much.

"I can hear it!" a voice shouted. It was a strong voice, and the hope in it gave Beverly an unexpected jolt of exhilaration. "There's water up ahead, Troi!" the voice said again.

Not a wild animal, but not necessarily less dangerous. Without thinking, she reached out and put her hand on Wesley's shoulder. He was as tense as she was, just waiting for the newcomers to break through the trees.

Within moments, the intruders were visible. Two people, out of breath and caked with sand and dried sweat burst noisily from the dense underbrush. They slid to a halt on the slippery earth, staring around themselves wildly. Clearly they had expected to find something that was not here. One of the people wore a very muddy suit and hat and the other wore a long coat. Her legs were bare, causing Beverly to assume there wasn't much else on under the coat.

The man in the hat spun halfway around in a slow semi-circle and stared upward. "I _know_ I heard a waterfall, Troi, I _swear_ to you..."

Beverly took a step forward. "Nope...no waterfall." She stared at the newcomers in open fascination.

The man spun back to face her in surprise, as if it was in that instant that he first noticed he and his friend were not alone. He blinked, and immediately took off his hat and held it to his muddy suit jacket, still watching her with a somewhat stunned expression. He soon recovered. "I beg your pardon?"

She nearly laughed, but she didn't know what had caused that reaction. She forced a more serious expression, regarding the two new people with mild suspicion. "I _said_ there's no waterfall here," she said.

The man glanced worriedly at his jacketed friend. "It's happening again," the dark-haired woman said, watching Beverly and Wesley with her big dark eyes. Beverly noticed immediately, that the woman had kind eyes. The man, she wasn't so sure about.

He nodded and returned his cool gaze to Beverly and Wesley. "We're looking for water," he said in a much more self-assured voice.

Beverly dropped her hand back into her pocket and gripped the little device. "Not hard enough. Look around you, you're in a rain forest."

The man plopped the hat back on his head, and smiled slightly indicating he knew very well he was being made fun of. "Let's go Troi," he said, turning to his friend.

She spread her arms incredulously. "Why do you want to leave? This woman obviously knows what she's doing."

"Fine," he said, walking past Troi. "You can stay with them, and I'll move along."

"Where are you headed?" Beverly called after him. "I happen to know where a waterfall is, you know."

"Why didn't you just say so?" he grumbled, not hiding his annoyance as he turned back to face her.

"Just tell me who you both are, and what you're doing here," said Beverly, "and I will be delighted to show you the waterfall. You could both use a bath."

The man dropped his arms loosely to his sides. "I'm Picard," he said with studied patience. "And you already know what I am seeking: water. Now what are you doing here, and who might you be?"

"My name's Beverly, and I'm helping someone who was injured. Gathering medicine for him, in fact," said Beverly. "We are," she corrected herself, nodding toward Wesley, who shifted nervously beside her.

Troi held out her hand to Wesley, sensing his discomfort. "I'm Deanna Troi."

The teenager cleared his throat and looked hesitantly at Deanna before grasping her hand and shaking it earnestly. "Hello...I'm Wesley." He looked sideways at Picard who might have been igoring him, and straightened, smoothing out his uniform. "Captain Wesley," he said in a stronger voice.

Deanna's eyes widened further, and she bit her lip to maintain some gravity. Reading minds was sometimes such a burden. "Ah! What a coincidence... _Captain_ Wesley," she said as seriously as possible. She hooked her thumb at Picard. "He's a captain too."


End file.
